A Miraculous Story on the Power of Sound to Heal
Hello Beautiful One!
This week, a true story about the power of healing sound.
Back in 1967, a group of 90 or so Benedictine monks from a monastery in the south of France became ill. Men who had been used to sleeping four hours a night and working all day had grown irritable, lethargic, exhausted, and susceptible to illness and disease. Over a period of time, numerous doctors were called in and not one of them could understand what was happening.
Finally, the monastery reached out to the world-renowned French physician and ear specialist, Dr. Alfred Tomatis, for his help. It turned out, that back in the mid-1960s as part of a “modernization” effort, the Second Vatican Council cut back chanting in monasteries. Up until then, monasteries and convents began, ended, and ran their days, from dawn to evening, in a series of “offices” which alternated multiple periods of chanting and prayer with meals and work. Chanting was firmly embedded in their lifestyle and had been for hundreds and hundreds of years. It defined their days and their nights and was a constant companion in everything they did.
What the Second Vatican Council did, in their ignorance, was to completely undermine the foundation of a contemplative monastic life.
Dr. Tomatis recalled:
‘I was called in by the Abbott in February, and I found that 70 of the 90 monks were slumping in their cells like wet dishrags. … I reintroduced chanting immediately. By November, almost all of them had gone back to their normal activities, that is their prayer, their few hours of sleep, and the legendary Benedictine work schedule.’
Dr. Tomatis understood how important sound is in our lives. In his long and illustrious career, he developed a cutting edge protocol, used to this day in Tomatis Centers worldwide. The Tomatis Method retrains the inner ear in children and adults, to help mitigate the effects of autism, learning disabilities, hearing loss, and emotional trauma.
I’ve said this so many times, but here it is again:
Healing sound is one of the most powerful modalities we have available to us today.
It literally helps us re-tune our bodies so we can release deeply held patterns that have crystallized on the cellular level as a result of trauma and stress, Healing sound can energize us or put us into a state of calm. It releases chronic pain, enhances, and boosts our immune system, connects us with our souls, and nourishes us on many levels so we can live full, healthy, happy, and deeply productive lives.
You don’t have to be a monk.
You don’t have to be a musician or a “singer”.
You don’t have to study esoteric languages so you can chant like a yogi (unless, like me, you want to).
I will never forget the first time I sang and played a crystal singing bowl. My body vibrated from head to toe. My voice tucked inside the tone, rising and falling in waves with the oscillations of the bowl. The great silence that followed after I felt “complete”. My restless mind, calm and the endless chatter for once, still.
The simplicity of playing a crystal singing bowl and sounding along with your voice is something anyone can do and the effects are powerful, potent, and deeply nourishing for your body, mind, and spirit. Within a few moments of playing and vocal sounding, your nervous system will begin to relax. Your breath will deepen, helping to activate and heal the respiratory and circulatory systems. Your mind will become quieter and more calm. With time, your ability to meditate and rest will strengthen. Anxiety levels will drop. Your connection with your soul increases as your body viscerally experiences what it is like to be expanded, alive, and free.
Let me encourage you to bring healing sound into your life in whatever way works for you.
Mantra, chanting, singing, playing an instrument, attending a sound bath, listening to beautiful music, joining a choir, or playing a crystal bowl. Your soul will love you for it and the rest of you will, too.
For those of you who would love to explore playing and singing with crystal singing bowls, send me an email here and I can help you get started or deepen your practice. You can also check out the link below and sign up for a free 20-minute consultation with me to discover if this is right for you.
As always, I love hearing from you. How is healing sound a part of your life? If you have a story about the miracle of healing sound, please share with me. I’d love to read it.
Be well. Stay strong and healthy. And, as always, nurture the Light you are. It’s needed now more than ever.
Love to you!